Two Walks Of Life
by GuidedLightningStrike
Summary: When 15yr old bookworm Emma accidently downloads The Intersect 3.0 into her brain,her life is turned up on its head. Being protected by the CIA and never knowing who she can trust, Emma doesnt know where to turn...thats until she meets two mysterious boys


Today, was a new day, and today, everything would be the same as it had always been.

I would have a shower, sort out my uniform, straiten my hair, and go to school. I would meet up with Lil, Sally, Tasha and Alex as per usual, and get sneered at by the school Populars, hear Mr. Margon drone on about science, and return home to my sanctuary once again and YouTube funny cats just for the hell of it.

Yes. Today was going to go as it always went.

I did what i promised myself to do, showered, washed my hair, dried my hair, straitened my hair, and put on my uniform, and head off walking to school. Every thing was going to plan so far.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, it was a message from Tasha.

_OMG Em, u will NEVER guess who i was with on sat nite! u will seriously freak when i tell u! AHHHH! ;D ;D xx_

I laughed at her text, it was classic Tasha, always completely excitable.

_im thinking...if i never guess, u should jst tell me...? _

I text back and smiled, shoving my phone back in my pocket.

"Emma!" I heard a voice shout, and i immediately turned at the sound of my name being called.

"Oh, hey Alex whats up?"

"Did you do that science assignment yet? Im seriously confused!" he laughed, flailing his science book in the air with his hand and flipping his long, blonde wavy hair away from his face, showing his boyish features.  
"Not yet." I shrugged. "Facebooking was calling me." I joked.

"Rad!" He grinned, showing all his pearly white teeth to me. I was still getting used to the American ringo. "Wow. The weathers really bad today. Hey is this what its like in good ol' England?" he attempted an English accent poorly.

"All day. Every day."

Buzz. Another text from Tasha.

_CAM CAM CAM! I told u he liked me! We totaly hit it off at Max Johnsons partyy! It was AMAZING! Im thinking luv at first sight...;) xx_

"Ha!" I snorted to my self, not even bothering to reply to that one.

"What?" Alex asked.

"Classic Tasha." I showed him the text on my phone, and he laughed too.  
"Classic Tasha." He echoed me, and we rendered towards school.

"Get it in the _van! _If the boss doesnt have this by tommorow its gonna be all our throats in the slaughter house!" A large, balded man hissed, shoving another somewhat skinnier man towards a White transit van. Those vans were always dodgey.

Oh no...oh no...it was happening again.

All colour drained away from me, and the flash overtook my vision, my eyes fluttered.

Alan Carter. Being chased by the CIA. Works for Fulkrum. Raised in Lousihana, quit school early and left home at 16. Delivers Illegal Atomic Weapons through out the country. Boss unknown.

I was me again then, the flash dissapeared, and i was suddenly aware of i was, but i lost balance, falling backwards.  
"Whoa!" Alex protested, catching me before i smashed my head on the floor. "You ok there?" his arms around me, and i quickly shuffled out of his hold and straitned up.

"Um, yeah im fine." I mumbled, walking ahead.

"Well its just you completely blanked out for a minute then fell backwards...that doesnt exactly scream 'Normal'..."

"I am normal!" I hissed, trudging onwards

"Ok touchy!" he backed off and walked beside me. "I wont mention it."

We walked in silence then, and i began to feel bad for my outburst. Well. It was too late to apologise now.

My phone rung, and i snagged it from my pocket, i checked the Caller I.D. It was Tasha.

"What Tash?" I rolled my eyes. What would she possibly need to ring me for? I was going to see her in school in five minutes.

"Whoa touchy! Who peed in your Cheerios?"

"You've been watching way too much One Tree Hill."

"Well, wouldnt you? Chad Michael Murray is HOT!"  
"He's not even in it anymore!"  
"And im still grieving" She said in a sad tone.

"Right." I tutted. "Im coming in to school now, talk to you later." I hung up the phone and shoved it back in my pocket.

"Tash?" Alex asked.

"Yeah." I said simply and entered the school gates, teenagers lying around and chattering meaninglessly, as the always did. I wasnt like most teenagers at this stereotypical American high school. I knew what i wanted , i was wise and i didnt make the mistakes these people did. I've never skipped one day of school, and never got a grade below a B.

My mum was extremely thankful she hadn't had another 'problem child'. I flinched at the thought.

"Hello ladies!" Alex smiled at a group of girls who walked past us, they giggled quietly to themsleves and shuffled away.

"You are such a player." I rolled my eyes at him and carried on through the school gates.

"Aww is someone jealous?"

"Get over yourself!" i shoved him in the shoulder.  
"Hey guys!" Lilly greeted me and Alex as we walked towards them.

"Hi" I smiled at her.

"Have you recieved the full report of Tasha yet?" she asked.

"Not exactly...why have you?"

"Yes. About 20 times. And its sadly over dramatised. He didnt even kiss her. Shes seriously strung over this guy who barely knows she exists. They had a conversation about Sheep and how cold Scotland is. He then spent the rest of the night with Kirsty Duley in Max's poolhouse. Unfortunately, Tash doesnt know that little piece of information. Shes still convinced they are meant to be together."

"Ouch! Are you going to tell her?"

"I think i have to, shes going to hear it from someone else anyway, Kirsty has been bragging about it to everyone within a mile radius."

"No shes gonna be crushed!" I felt a sudden sympathy for Tash then. She could be very loud and over whelming, but deep inside she just seeks acceptance and is seriously vulnerable. I felt a need to protect her most times.

"Maybe we dont have to tell her. I mean at least one of us are in each of her classes right? I have got Maths..."

"You mean Calculus.." Lilly corrected me.

"Fine! I have _calculus_ with her 2nd and 3rd period, and if anyone is talking about it we could easily distract her..."  
"I have English with her first..." Lilly continued.

"And we have Home Ed 4th!" Alex exclaimed.

"What about 5th period though?" I asked.  
"Well Sally should be here any minute, im sure her she has bioligy with her last! We just have to make sure!" Lilly explained.

"What if she doesnt? We all know everyone gossips in any science lesson." I continued.

"Im sure she can survive _one _lesson...right?" Lilly said unsurely.

"Who can survive one lesson?" Tash was suddenly walking up to us, Sally beside her.

"Umm..er...um..Sally! Yeah,yeah, Sally, shes been uh..freaking out lately about..school and stuff...we were just saying that she can survive one more lesson!" Lilly laughed nervously, fidgeting insanely. God she was a terrible liar.

"Um...no im not." Sally stared at all of us suspiciously, her mousy blonde hair strangely wavy and free today. She usually kept it up.

"Right..." Lilly trailed off. Suddenly the bell rung for class, and made all of us jump.  
"Look at that! Saved by the bell!" Alex laughed. "Em, we have LCT first, right?"

"Yes! Yes we do! See ya guys!" I smiled at all of them and rushed off with Alex.

"Are you going to do anything or are you just going to stand there?" Alex grinned at me and flipped his hair away from his face.

"Standing here is just fine." I shrugged.  
"Well its clear you'd made an effort tonight and it shows. I can tell by your face you dont wanna be alone. The mood is right and the times is now, if you cant do it i'll show you how, all you gotta do is let loose let go, set your skills on show!"

"Arent they dizzee rascal lyrics?" I asked, recognising the lyrics from my time in England.

"Yeah" he laughed hysterically.  
"Are you _drunk?_"

He leaned towards me, his warm breath radiating on my ear. "Of course!"

"Ooookay" I pushed him away from me and stared at him. "Im going to stop you before you do something you regret. Ok?"

"Why what do you think im going to do, Emma?" he had a sour under tone to his voice.

"I dont know. But you always manage to do something stupid when your drunk."

"You think im going to try and hit on you?" he glared at me.

"When did i say that?"

"I mean, why wouldnt you think that? Your not blind, you've looked in the mirror. Your not an un attractive girl, Emma, and your not like the others. You dont swoon over me like they all do, and i like that. I like a chase sometimes."

"'You like a chase'"? I scoffed, finding hilarity in his arrogance.  
"Yeah. And i think...right now...you want me"

"Yes, Alex, i want you so bad i cant even breathe!" I said with heavy sarcasm.

"See? Fiesty! Thats what i _need_, Emma! These girls, i can get them with a click of a finger! One call and they come running! A guy gets bored of that very easily. It takes the plain fun out of things!"

"Fun? Alex, girls aren't toys you get to throw out whenever you want! Ugh, your so arrogant and self involved, its a wonder any girls are into you! You treat them like crap and yet the still come back to you."

"Just like a slinky." He winked at me.  
"Right. Im officially done." I turned on my heels away from him and headed towards the door outside.

"And where do you think your going my little butter cup?" Lilly smiled at me and linked my arm.

"Away from here." I mumbled.

"What happened?" she asked, dragging me towards the exit of the house.

"Alex being a tool, as per usual."

"Alex? Our Alex?" she questioned me as we stood outside in the cold, my eyes adjusting to the darkness.

"Yeah. He's drunk. I think hes messing around with me or something."  
"Messing around with you?"

"Well...he keeps saying all this stuff, like how 'im not like other girls'. I dont know what is wrong with him. He was being really arsey and arrogant."

"Arsey?" Lilly repeated.

"Basically hes being an ass."

"Right." She nodded in understanding. She was about to say something, but then stopped herself.

"What? What is it your not telling me?" I asked in curiosity.

"The reason Alex was acting like that towards you, is because he likes you."

"Your kidding right?" was my response.

"No. I'm not. He told me...well he didn't really tell me in so many words...but its pretty obvious. Im shocked you didnt figure it out yourself. His body language alone is deafening."

"Back up a minute...you said he didn't tell you? So he doesn't like me."

"He didn't have to! Just the way he talks about you! Its so obvious. I've known Alex for a long time. Hes always been able to get any girl he wants, his ocean blue eyes did that for him. But every single girl he's dated have been the same. Your different from all of us here. Don't get me wrong, Em, i love you to peices but your not like us Yanks, in a good way. You dont have to dress up to look nice, you dont have to wear make up to be pretty. Alot of girls are jealous of that. You know, most guys in our year do like you, but you dont even realise it! Your so indulged in your future, and what you want to be and your so focused! And i admire you so much for that! Your not caught up in any high school drama. Your great, Em, you really are. And Alex see's that too."

I smiled at all her compliments, but i wasn't as great as she made me out to be.

"Thats really sweet but...theres no way that Alex can like me, or anyone else for that matter. I mean, look at me! Im bookworm Emma from the other side of the pond."  
"See? You cant even see how amazing you are! Anytime any one of us were in trouble you would come and help us in a click! Remember the time Leah left me in Woodridge without a ride? I called you and you came strait away to pick me up and got into trouble with your folks for it? And thats just one of the things you've done for me. For all of us."  
"You've done stuff for me too! I help you and you help me. Thats how a normal friendship works!"

"Maybe so, but there aren't many friends like you just lying around. Your like a rare, specail diamond." she smiled.  
"I think thats the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Meh. Im feeling nice." She grinned. "Back onto the subject of Alex..."  
"Alex is just a friend! Nothing more. God it would feel like going out with my step brother or something. Besides, i dont like him in that way. Even if i did, i wouldn't want to ruin our friendship." I explained. "Can i tell you something? Like a secret?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"I met this guy."

"OMG! Spill!"

"Well...not really _met_, but i've been seeing him pretty much everywhere i go, and while it should freak me out, hes too cute for me to notice."

"Have you talked to him?"  
"Kind of...i banged into him in the Supermarket and mumbled a few apologies but thats it..."

"Babe! We need to get you in the game! We are going out tommorow, hit the mall, see if your little stalker shows up and you can share more than a couple of apologies. And i have to check him out. See if he's hot." she winked.

"Believe me. He's hot."

"How old is he? What school does he go to? What colour are his eyes? Is he tanned?"  
"Whoa! Slow down! I dont know, he looks around my age but i dont know what school, i told you we never really talked. As for appearence though? He is gorgeous. He is tanned but hes not like 'Jersey Shore' orange...he's like this perfect shade...and for his hair? ohmigod i've had dreams about it. Serious perfection."  
"Wow, watch out Em i might be after him." she winked at me and stepped back.

"Back into the party?"

"Yeah. Sure." I smiled, and followed behind her.

Chapter 14:

"Im having a bad feeling about this..." i trailed off, looking around in paranoia.

"Seriously, it will be fine." Lilly looked at me while slurping her Starbucks Smoothie. "Its not as if we're stalking him."

We were trailing around the mall, searching for Cute Mystery Stalker Guy to see if he would show up, and 2 hours into the search, we had nothing. But Lilly had acquired 2 new pairs of shoes, and a Tee from Hot Topic.

"You know you haven't bought anything." she murmured as we entered a clothing store.

"Well, the idea of this trip wasnt to buy anything."

"Still. We're girls. We Multi task. Its in our nature." she scanned through the clothing racks, letting her fingers graze each item of clothing.

"Oooh! This one is so cute! Mystery Stalker guy would lo-ooove you in this!" she grabbed a lime green dress from the rack of shoved it upon me.  
"Ew. No he wouldn't." i cringed at how bright and ugly it was and placed it back on the rack.

"Good. That was a test. And you passed."  
"No it wasn't, there was just an error in your judgement."  
"Meh...it was a good try. BUT this...this is safe." she grinned and pulled out a pale cream beach dress, with a gold lining around the neck.

"Wow, thats...actually quite nice..."

"I know right! And it its perfect for the Beach Bonfire next week! You are going, right? I mean, you never know, cute stalker guy might be there!"

"I wasn't really planning on going, but i guess..."

"Well. You are now. You are going to buy this dress, you are going to wear it, you are going to look fabulous, and you are going to make out with that boy like theres no tommorow."

"One step at a time, yeah?" i smiled. "First, getting the dress. Just because its pretty and i havent bought anything in a while."

I bought the dress and we left the store.

"Wait! You cant just buy a dress! You need at least shoes. Then we can go on to accessories. Bag, Jewelry, ect..."

"Dude! I'm not made of money!"

"Well they dont have to be seriously expensive or anything. But you desperately need shoes. Your normal trainers just arent going to cut it."

"Right." I rolled my eyes as we headed to another store. "Ooh can i go into Barnes and Noble? Theres a new book i want to get."

"Shoes!"

"Fine! God your so controling."  
"Im only trying to help you.." she said in a sing songy voice.

"Well why cant i just borrow some of your shoes?"  
"I might not have any shoes that go with that."  
"You might!"  
"Are you seriously trying to find an excuse to not go shoe shopping? Are all Brits that...crazy?"

"No. Just me." I smiled angelicaly and entered some local shoe store.

"See, this shoe store is amazing. It isn't one of those chain stores, there is only one of these in the world. And its not just that, they have all shoes made with care...and they're gorge...and cheap..."  
"Lucky for me!" I smiled brightly "I have to admit, when im in the right mood, i am a complete sucker for shoes."

"Yay! All good and right has been reset in the world!"

"Haha." i fake laughed and started scanning through shoes.

"You want something thats not too bold, cause it would ruin the entire dynamic of the dress, and it has to be comfortable and easy to walk in, considering your going to wear them on a beach. You buy stiletto's and your not going anywhere."

"So Sandals or Flipflops it is then?"

"Yep. Its just a matter of finding the right ones. I'll go down here and you go down there. I'll shout you if i find anything." Lilly pointed down two different areas of the store. I nodded and set off in the direction she told me to. Most of the shoes consisted of high-heels, stilletto's and pumps, but there were a few sandals and flipflops lying around the place, but none of them appealed to me. I realised how clueless i was when it came to fashion, i really needed Lillys help on this one.

"Hey, Lil, i gotta say im really bad at.." I trailed off in shock. There he was. He was here. I only saw his back, but my god it was a _fit_ back. His grey tee had The Wombats printed on the back in bubbly letters, his brown hair shaping perfectly around his head, his stride as confident and beautiful as ever.

"LILLY! LILLY! ITS HIM!" i hissed, running over to the other side of the store.

"What?"

"He's here! He was just outside!"  
"NO WAY! Come on lets go!" she whispered and dragged me out the door. "Which way did he go?"

"Erm...down that way!" I pointed towards the Mall exit. She grabbed my arm and we ran towards him.  
"Thats him, the one with the grey Wombats tee and brown hair, walking towards the Fruit Market."

Lilly squinted to see him, and her face marveled.

"NO WAY! He's absolutely gorge! God he has a hot back! I need to see his face! Do you know his name?"  
"No, i never asked him..."

"Well we need a head shot. Lets go stalk." She looked at me seductively and we followed after him. He walked along the square and casualy looked at all things on the market but didnt actually buy anything.

"Right. We've got to take this one step further." Lilly concluded. "Im going in." She took a deep breath and walked towards a electronic stall, his back was bent over, looking towards something. I decided to stay put and watch Lilly go ahead. I wasn't sure if she was going to talk to him or just take a look, but i felt a strange pang of jealousy. What if they started talking and hit it off? Where would that leave _me_? No. Lilly wouldn't do that. She was my friend. She knew how much i liked him.

She casually stood beside him, and picked up some kind of phone adapter and looked at the label on the back. I chuckled to myself. I bet she didnt know what one word on the packaging would mean. He turned around then and Lilly looked up. He didn't notice Lilly and just walked around her to look at something else. She turned towards me and put her thumbs up and mouthed something to me. I think it was "Nice." She did something i didn't expect then, and she prodded him on his shoulder. He turned towards her and she asked him something, i tried to read her lips but i couldnt see what she was saying. He smiled at her and leaned on the market table, and Lilly smiled back. I started to feel angry. Was she flirting with him? I was the one who told her about him and she was going to go behind my back and have him for herself? That definately went against 'Girl Code' as she'd once said.

She smiled once again and headed back towards me. She could plainly see the look on my face and was quick to defend herself.

"His name is Dylan. He goes to Westmonte High School and he is going to be at the Beach Bonfire next saturday and you are going to be looking so hot and gorgeous he will be drooling over you."  
"Is that what you were talking to him about?"

"Yes. Although he is beyond handsome and i would love to lap him up for myself, you found him first, and he's all yours. And you are going to be so drop dead gorgeous on Saturday he wont be able to take his eyes off you. Got it?"

"I knew you wouldn't betray me. You abide by the rules of Girl Code."  
"Yeah. Unfortunately for me." She grinned and linked arms with me. "Maybe i should see if he has a hot friend and then we can double date."

"Maybe he does." I smiled. "We still didn't get those shoes."  
"We cannot possibly leave without shoes. Lets go!" she grinned and we headed back to shoe store which went by the name of 'Sarahs Shoes.'

Very original.

_1 week later_

Since the mall trip with Lilly, i couldn't wait to go to the Beach Bonfire. Because i knew i'd see him again. Lilly was due to meet me at 5:00 pm on Saturday to get me ready, since i had no idea what to do with my hair or make up for that matter. Im sure she could do something with me in 4 hours or so. Tash, Sally, Alex and loads of others from school were coming too, so it was going to be pretty filled. Still, i hadn't really gone out since i'd arrived here, its time to start at some point right?

Until then, i had my brand new dress hung up on my door, perfectly clean, just waiting to be worn. My brand new gold sandals were lying next to them on the floor. Lilly said she had a bag which was perfect for my 'Ensemble' and had some jewelry i could borrow.

Tonight was going to be a good night. I could tell.

"Emma! Lilly is here to see you!" My mum shouted up the stairs.

Lilly was here already? It was barely even 4:30.

"Lil, what are you doing here so early?" I questioned her as i jogged down my staircase, seeing her wave at me politely and holding a large Bloomingdales bag.

"I thought i'd come early. You know, just in case anything goes wrong."  
"You realise we still have 5 hours to get ready, right?"

"Yes, and time is rapidly running out! You know what we're like, something is bound to go wrong! Now. Up to your room. I have loads of things i need to show you, you know, outfit wise. For me and you. Go...hurry!" She ushered me back up the stairs and i flopped onto my bed. Lilly dropped her bag on the bed beside me and started rummaging through it.

"Your seriously going to start getting ready _now_?"

"Time is of the essence, my child!"

"Right." I rolled my eyes. "Show me what you got for me."

"Okay!" she giggled happily, and pulled out two seperate bags.

"You had bags in bags?"

She ignored my little comment and started to unpack some items from one of the bags.  
"I think, because you have a pale dress and gold shoes, you should have the same accessories. I had to dig through my moms jewelry box but we got there in the end. So. I have all gold accessories, including gold belt, charm bracelet, bangles, and horse shoe necklace and gold laced beach purse!" she presented them to me as she described them, and placed them softly side by side.

"Then theres the soft, beach accesories. Creams, light pinks, whites...Pearl necklace, white thick bangles, no belt if we're going for the soft look, and cream over-the-shoulder purse." she presented those to me too. "Or...we can be dangerous and mix and match! Considering your dress is pale cream and your shoes are gold..so it really isn't that dangerous..but still!" she smiled happily. "So. What' s it to be?"

"Well, they are all lovely choices Miss Lilly and it was very thoughtful of you. But today, i think im going to be dangerous."

"Yay! I was hoping you were going to say that."

We mixed and matched with al the jewelry, so my outfit was pretty much sorted.

It took Lilly a whole hour to decide what to do with my haystack of golden hair, and in the end decided to curl it, and place it in a elbaroate bun around my head, with a dark gold band.

We ready and raring to go.

"You ready?" Lilly asked me as we stepped out of the taxi.

"Yes. I think so." I took a deep breath and stared down at the beach. The bonfire had just started, and people were crowded around with drinks in hand, laughing and chatting to other people, having fun. I did a quick scan of the crowd, but i didnt see any sign of Dylan anywhere.

"OHMIGOD! Emma, you look amazing!" Sally gasped, approaching us with Alex and Tash beside her.

"I know, right? Thanks to me!" Lilly smiled proudly and spun me around.

"You look gorgeous babe!" Tash grinned at me.

"Thanks" I mumbled in embarrasment and moved to place my hair behind my hair...except there wasn't any to put behind my hair since Lilly put it up in a elaborate bun/bobble thing...i had no idea what she did with it, except i had a Taylor-Swift esque look going on.

At least her hair was nice.  
"Hey, stop messing around with your hair your going to pull the headband out!"

Yeah. Then there was _that_.

"Wow i cant get over how good you look! You look freaking amazing!" Sally laughed, appraising me.

"Yeah. She does." Alex murmured, looking at me.

Oh.

"Now all we need to do is find some major hot eye candy. This place must be crawling with 'fit' guys as Emma might say."

"Hello, theres a perfectly 'Fit' guy right here you know.." Alex motioned towards himself.

"Meh." Tasha muttered and shuffled off. "You guys coming or what?" she called and grabbed Lillys hand. I followed after, laughing, as we all headed towards the bonfire.

Tasha was right. The beach would be the perfect place to meet a guy, there were plenty of guys here, cute, handsome, small, tall, you name it. But i wasn't looking for just any guy. I was looking for Dylan.

"Guys, look, Marshmallows on sticks!" Sally squeeled, heading over to the candy kiosk.

"They did this especially for tonight." Tasha smiled smugly as we walked over to follow Sally.

"3 Marshmellows On Sticks for $2!" the man shouted from the kiosk.

"Count me in!" Sally yelped excitedly.

"Count me out." I mumbled and stood against the kiosk.

"You dont like marshmellows? Seriously, you Brits are serious f-reaks!" she laughed.

"No im just allergic to gluten."

"I never knew that about you...oh is that why you eat that healthy organic stuff all the time?"  
"Yes."

"Hey, dont knock it till you try it Lils. Did wonders for my figure last year." Tash winked and shoved a marshmellow in her mouth.

"Thats out of the window now huh?"

Tash laughed sarcastically at her and wandered away.

"You want some 'mellows, Lil?" i asked her.

"No, im good. But i think we should do something more productive like..i dunno..finding cute mystery boy...whats his name again? Daniel..no that wasnt it...Drake? No i swear it had a Y in it..DYLAN!" she shouted jokingly.

"Shhh!" I hissed. "He might hear you! If he's even here..."

"Believe me. He's here." she smirked and skipped off towards the bonfire.

Admittedly, i was getting bored. Fast.

The only reason i had dressed up and come out was to see him, and since i hadn't yet, all i was doing was staring at the fire, watching flames turn to embers and ash floating in the air towards me.

Before i knew it half an hour had passed and i was all on my own. Lilly said she had to go home because she forgot her phone and her brother was in some kind of 'trouble' or something, and Tasha and Sally were off somewhere...maybe with Alex.

"Whats up?" Alex asked me and stood beside me next to the fire. Hmm. Maybe not.

"You look...aloof." he continued.

"Do i?" i murmured.

"Yes. Your meant to be having fun not staring at a fire all night."

"What kind of fun is there to be had? Sally and Tash went boy-hunting, Lilly had to go home because she lost her phone..or something... and i dont even know if shes coming back, and god knows where you were. So my only choice was to chill here."

"Well in that case...would you like to dance?" he asked me, with that cheeky grin on his face.

"Dance? Me? Oh no...i'm a terrible dancer..." That wasn't necesarily true...i was a good dancer, but considering Alex liked me and i liked Dylan who may be here..i just didn't want to risk it.

"Oh come on im sure your not. And its gotta be better standing here like a doof."

"No, actually im kinda cool with standing here like a doof. Its a British thing."

"Its not and you know it. Im not leaving until you dance with me. I will just pester and pester you..."

"Well luckily for me i'm very good at ignoring people...so." i smiled at him angelically and turned my head back to the fire.

"Oh my god! I cant believe my Mom made me go all the way back home because she needed to know wether Kyle had been out with Cate again. I mean, yeah Cate might be a bit of a slut but at least shes not some crack whore. God my parents are so annoying! No...scrap that, my whole family is annoying!"

I laughed awkwardly, thankful for Lillys interruption.

"Have we found Dylan yet?" Lilly grinned excitedly, not realising Alex was there.

"Who's..who's Dylan?" he asked.

"Umm..this guy Lilly likes. I was meant to keep a look out." i covered for her mistake.

"Cool." he smiled. "I was just trying to get Emma to dance with me just she's very insistant that she can't."

"Well. If you tried you tried." Lilly shrugged and looped my arm through hers. "Im going to have to steal her for a few min...hours." she smirked at Alex and dragged me away. "We've already wasted enough time, we need to look _look_ now. Border of stalking. I will not leave this beach until we find him."

"Ditto!" I beamed, glad to have her back.

"We need to propose some sort of strategy to find him..

"I dont think we have to..." i squeeled excitedly as i saw him walking along the beach...alone...again. I think i was falling for him even more every time i saw him.

"Oh my god. Maybe he actually is stalking you. No boy is ever _that _easy to find."

"Oh god oh god oh god. I...i knew he would be here and i knew i was going to see him but...jeez how do i start a conversation? I mean..i...i have never done this before you know? All the guys in my old school were stupid...and silly and cared more about football than looking after a girl right. I mean im picky, i dont just go for any random guy i see...therese something about him that just fascinates me and hes so fine! Honestly i could just eat him right here right now!"

Lilly laughed hysterically at me. "Then why dont you? I've never seen this boy obsessed side of you before and babe, ive gotta be honest, im loving it!" she chuckled. "Now just go in there, and strike up a convo!"  
"About what?"

"Anything! Ask him if he likes...cheese!" she quoted from one my favourite American chick flicks.

"My favourites Gouda!" I laughed to myself. "Seriously! What am i going to do?"

"Just go up to him and say 'Hi' or 'Hello'. He will be immediately intrigued by your English accent and boom sparks will fly. Go. Now!" she laughed and pushed me towards him. He was standing in front of the sea now, his back to me and i could imagine him staring out to the shore with his beautiful green eyes. God he was so gorgeous i actually wanted to die. I took a deep breath and walked towards him but stopped halfway there. I looked back desperately at Lilly who ushered me forward with her hands. I rolled my eyes and continued towards him. I was stood beside him then, and i wasnt sure he noticed my presence at first.

"Hi" i said quietly, so quiet he probably didnt even hear me.

"Hi" he replied in the same tone and looked quickly at me and turned away. He suddenly looked up again and smiled. "So we meet again."

OMG. He recognised me.

"So we do." I smiled back, my heart fluttering at the sound of his voice. And his eyes. And his smile. Everything about him was just...amazing.

"I never got a chance to ask, whats your name?"

"Emma. Yours?" There wasn't much point in telling him i already knew his name. I didnt want to risk sounding stalkerish.

"Dylan. Nice to officially meet you, Emma." he grinned and put his hand out.

I stupidly stared at his hand in confusion, and suddnely realised what he was doing.

"Oh! Its nice to meet you too, Dylan." I shook his hand. It was warm, soft...amazing.

"Is that an English accent i hear?"

"Yes it is." I chuckled, moving the invisible-hair behind my ear in nervousness.

"When did you move over to the other side of the pond?"

"Last year. Ive been living here for 8 months. We moved from England because of my Mums work. I didn't want to go at first. I was content in England, but i had always wanted to see America, and i was excited, just nervous. I mean, i have seen Mean Girls."

He chuckled and looked at me. "So how you liking it?"

"I cant say ive missed the English weather. Its always sunny here, and the beaches are amazing. The people are alot friendlier in many ways, but the ringo is very different. While i used to say stuff like 'Bloody hell thats rubbish!' i now have to say things like 'That totally sucks you jerk!' I said bloody hell once in school and got seriously ripped for it."

"I like the English talk. Its different. I like different. Normal gets boring after a while."

"You can say that again."

"I like the English talk. Its different. I like..."  
"Haha i get it!" I laughed, and he laughed with me. Yes this was going well! Thankyou England!

"You wanna sit down? Im sure your getting tired of standing up?" he asked, ushering to the golden sand.

"Um, yeah sure." i smiled, sitting down on the soft sand. It was well past light now and it was pretty much pitch black. You couldnt even tell the sea was blue at all. I could tell what this looked like for outsiders. A girl and a guy sitting in the sand together, gazing out at the ocean...yes it was romantic.

"You know, the first time i saw you around, there was something about you..." he trailed off in wonder and gazed at the ocean.

"Am i going to get to listen to the rest of that sentence or are you going to leave me hanging?"

"There was something about you that intrigued me. The way you would walk down the street was so different than all the others girls around here walked. Most of them would walk around with their friends giggling at anything in sight wearing short skirts that barely covered anything, but you walked with a certain..confidence."

"So what your saying is you like the way i walk." i laughed, high on the inside. He had acknowledged me before i even knew he existed! This seriously could not be going any better.

"Wow...that sounds borderline creepy. Im sorry" he apologised, fidgeting awkwardly on the sand.  
"No, no! I think its sweet." i tried to reassure him. "You know i kind of have something to confess too."

"Yes?" he asked, urging me to continue.

"The whole reason i really came tonight was in the hope that i'd bump into you again. I dont usually make this much effort."

I couldnt see his reaction in the dark, and i was worried i'd freightned him off. Ugh. Why did you have to ruin it you idiot?  
"Well i like that you made an effort. You look beautiful tonight." he complimented me. He actually told me i looked beautiful. "But..." But. Always a but. "I also like girls who play it natural."

When im _natural_? I think ive actually found the perfect boy. Im in love.

"In that case..." i beamed, pulling the clips out of my hair, letting it hang loose over my shoulders and removing any and all jewelry. I stood up and flicked my shoes off my feet.

"This is as natural as it gets." i shrugged, ruffling my hair to make it more 'natural'

"See, this look..is a lot better." he grinned and stood up infront of me. "I have an idea."

"And what idea may that be?" i asked, almost breathless that he was so close to me.

"Close your eyes."

"What?"  
"Its okay, you can trust me. Just close your eyes." he said gently.

"Umm...Ok." i resignated and shut my eyes. He slowly took both of my hands in his and my heart skipped about a million beats.

"Just let me lead you, Ok?"

"Ok!" i laughed, stumbling forward slowly as he lead me somewhere. I felt un comfortable not knowing where i was and being lead by, effectively a stranger. A gorgeous stranger...but still.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, still being dragged along by Dylan.

"Just wait and see!" he laughed. "Almost there..."

He was towing me slower than before, and i still had no idea where i was.  
"Stop!" he whispered and his warm breath blew on my face. God he was delicious. "You ready?"  
"For what?"

"This!" he shouted and suddenly dragged me into the ice cold water.

"Oh my god!" I gasped in shock.

"Haha!" Dylan laughed, still got a hold on me and dragging me deeper into the water.  
"What are you doing? Your crazy!" I laughed hysterically.

"And i love it!" he laughed with me and we both laughed and danced around in the water, Dylan was still holding on to both of my hands, more tightly than before. I suddenly tripped over a rock in the sand and fell tumbling backwards, pulling Dylan down with me, soaking us both in the ice cold, salt water.

"Whoa, tiger slow down there!" he laughed as we both pulled ourselves up.

"Oh my god i completely soaked us both! Im so sorry!" i apologised, now seriously freezing cold. His laughter slowly faded and he smirked to himself. "I think we better get out of this water before we get pnumoneia." i continued.

"Yeah. I guess so." he took my hand and lead me out of the water and onto the sand. My teeth chattered as i sat down on the sand, and wrapped my arms around myself.

"You want my jacket? Its kinda wet on the bottom but its pretty much dry at the top." he took off his jacket and placed it around my shoulders gently.

"Thanks." I smiled at him and wrapped the jacket over my front, considering i was wearing a white dress which was soaked through right now. He turned towards me and smiled softly.

"What are you..." i trailed off, shocked at how his hand was touching my face. OHMIGOD. OHMIGOD.

"What am i doing?" Dylan repeated what i was going to say. "Im going to kiss you. Is that ok?" he asked, inching closer. I didnt have time to reply before his lips were already on mine.

Was this actually happening? Was this real? Was my first kiss with someone this gorgeous?

But before i knew it was over.

"You've never done this before have you?" he chuckled, moving his hand from my face.

"What? Of course i have, i've done it like..loads.." i lied, very un convincingly.

"Right." he smiled confidently. "I mean...i'd be very happy to just give you a few pointers..."

"Umm..over confident much?" i laughed. He turned to face me completely and asked me to do the same. We were facing each other and he was staring into my eyes.

"I have a feeling we might be here a long time..." he grinned.

Chapter 16:

I woke up on sunday feeling ecstatic. Last night i had my first kiss ever, with the most perfect boy, who was too gorgeous to even gather why he would kiss a girl like _me_. But...why did he kiss me? Why did he continue to kiss me, pretty much for the whole night? I had nothing special to offer...not really.

Lilly went insane when i told her, she was convinced it was her choice of outfit and her makeover, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.

"Sleepy head! Your finally awake, its like 11am!" Lilly laughed, smashing the pillow over my head.

"Unghhh!" I protested, shoving the pillow on the top of my head.

"Uggghhh come one wake up ive waited for aaages! Ive even suffered through watching a re-run of 'Days Of Our Lives'" she shuddered.

"Ew. Theres no excuse for ever watching _that_."

"There is when your passed out for hours on end..."  
"Lilly. You know im not a morning person."


End file.
